Cavaliers-Raptors Preview

Posted Mar 09 2013 2:07PM

Kyrie Irving is returning to the site of one of his best nights of the season.

The star guard hit a late game-winner the last time his Cleveland Cavaliers visited the Toronto Raptors, and he'd like to duplicate that effort in Sunday night's matchup at Air Canada Centre.

Frustrated by his 0-4 record against Toronto (24-39), Irving took matters into his own hands Jan. 26 as he capped a 32-point performance with a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds left for a 99-98 victory.

"I wanted to get a win," Irving said after that contest. "It was personal for me. In a year and a half of being in the NBA, I hadn't gotten a win against Toronto."

Irving missed the Cavaliers' last matchup with the Raptors, a 103-92 victory Feb. 27 in which rookie Dion Waiters picked up the slack with 23 points.

That gave Cleveland (21-41) a 2-1 season series lead heading into this final 2012-13 meeting. It was the first time these teams played since the Raptors acquired forward Rudy Gay from Memphis on Jan. 30.

Cleveland had trouble slowing down Toronto on the perimeter last month, as DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points and Gay added 24.

"The team that came to (Cleveland) a couple weeks ago with Rudy Gay and their new additions, they spread the court a lot so guys are going to have to be ready to defend," said Cavs forward Tristan Thompson, an Ontario native. "They got DeMar, Rudy, that go 1-on-1 a lot, a lot of isolation plays, so we've got to be able to help each other."

Thompson could match up at times with fellow 6-foot-9 big man Amir Johnson, who's averaging 15.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 66.7 percent shooting in the season series for the Raptors.

Irving scored 24 in a 103-92 loss to the Grizzlies on Friday that capped a 2-3 homestand. He was listed as doubtful with flu-like symptoms, but said he was fine afterward.

Irving was more concerned about another poor third quarter as Cleveland was outscored 32-18. The Cavs have averaged 16.7 points and 29.3 percent shooting in the third quarters of their last three games, with Irving scoring 19 of their 50 points.

"I'm trying to figure it out," he said. "For me, I was trying to get everyone involved and there have been a few games where I've been really aggressive and am looking for my shot a little bit more. I'm trying to get everyone involved, especially in the third quarter."

Toronto returns home after a 118-116 overtime loss to the Lakers on Friday capped a 1-3 trip. The Raptors shot 74 percent in a 37-point first quarter, led most of the game and were up by as many as 15 before suffering their sixth defeat in seven.

"It was a tough loss for us, we definitely could have won the game," Johnson said.

DeRozan scored 28 points but Gay went 7 of 26 and finished with 17 points and six turnovers.

Oft-injured Andrea Bargnani left with a strained right elbow after scoring two points in nine minutes.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Irving injured in Cavs' 100-96 loss to Raptors

By IAN HARRISONPosted Mar 10 2013 11:27PM

Amir Johnson scored 17 points and matched his career high with 16 rebounds, Alan Anderson scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and the Toronto Raptors overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the slumping Cavaliers 100-96 on Sunday night.

Irving was knocked out with a left shoulder contusion late in the third quarter as Cleveland lost for the fourth time in five games. X-rays at the Air Canada Centre were negative and he will be re-evaluated in Cleveland on Monday.

Irving was hurt when he collided with Toronto rookie Jonas Valanciunas on a baseline drive with 2:04 left in the third, and he shot the resulting free throws one-handed. Irving made the first but missed the second before walking off and heading to the locker room. He finished with 12 points.

"I was afraid to touch it," Irving said of his shoulder. "I was just unsure of what was going on."

A frustrated Irving said the shoulder "still doesn't feel right" when he spoke with reporters afterward, and he appeared to be favoring it as he got dressed.

"I wouldn't call it a cheap shot or anything like that, but I've done that play a lot of times and I've never come out feeling like this," he said.

Irving missed 11 games between Nov. 21 and Dec. 8 with a broken finger. He also sat out three games between Feb. 26 and March 1 with a sore right knee.

Cleveland's locker room was kept closed for more than 20 minutes after the game as Scott challenged his team over their recent string of poor third quarters. The Cavaliers have been outscored in the third in four straight games, including double-digit margins in their past two.

"Another one of those third-quarter blunders," Scott said. "I asked the guys to tell me what it was, what's the reason that we come out the way we do in the second half, and then I gave my opinion.

"It's something that we've definitely got to fix. It's not as good feeling in there to know you played pretty well in the first half and then you come out the second half and play like that."

Cavs forward Tristan Thompson said the solution was "simple."

"We've got to come out and play like men in the third quarter," he said. "The last five games teams have been kicking our butt, kicking our tail, outscoring us by double digits. It starts on the defensive end. We've got to be men and get stops and play together."

Toronto has injury problems of its own, but won for just the second time in eight games. Forward Rudy Gay was held out with a stiff back, while center Andrea Bargnani was scratched because of a strained right elbow. Rookie Terrence Ross made his first start in place of Gay. Johnson started for Bargnani.

"I applaud our guys the way they played in the second half," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.

Kyle Lowry had 15 points and nine rebounds, Ross scored 14 points and DeMar DeRozan had 13 points for Toronto, which had lost its previous two meetings with the Cavaliers.

Cleveland rookie Dion Waiters scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth, Thompson had 11 points and 10 rebounds and C.J. Miles scored 15.

A 3 by Anderson gave Toronto a 90-82 lead with 5:40 to go, but Cleveland scored the next six points, five of them from Waiters, to make it 90-88 with 4:15 remaining.

Waiters tied it at 94-all on a driving layup with 1:42 left, then made one of two from the foul line to put Cleveland up 95-94 at 1:20, giving the Cavs their first lead of the fourth quarter.

Lowry restored Toronto's lead by making two free throws with 52 seconds to go. After a missed shot by Shaun Livingston, Lowry added a turnaround jumper, making it 98-95 with 14 seconds left.

Toronto sent Waiters to the line with 4.7 seconds left. He made the first but missed the second, and DeRozan was fouled as he grabbed the rebound. He sealed the win by making both free throws.

Waiters scored seven points in the first and Zeller had six as Cleveland went ahead with a 9-0 run and led 27-20 after one.

Miles made four 3-pointers and scored 13 points in the second, and Irving added nine as the Cavaliers opened a 50-33 lead with 3:46 left. Toronto closed the half on an 11-4 run, cutting it to 55-46 at the break.

Cleveland called time at 5:59 of the third after a layup by Johnson cut it to 63-60, and Valanciunas tied it on a pair of free throws at 2:48 left. Cleveland regained the lead, but Valanciunas tied it again, converting a three-point play at 1:24. Five more free throws, including one for a technical foul on Marreese Speights, gave the Raptors an 80-74 lead heading into the fourth.

NOTES: Bargnani was injured in the first quarter of Friday's overtime loss at the Los Angeles Lakers. He will have tests Monday. ... Toronto improved to 2-12 when shooting less than 40 percent from the floor. ... Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel attended the game.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Raptors 100, Cavaliers 96

THE FACTS: Missing two starters, the undermanned Toronto Raptors (25-39) rallied back from an early 17-point deficit at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers (21-42), who lost their best player in the 100-96 defeat.

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving exited after sustaining a left shoulder injury, colliding with a Toronto player late in the third quarter, a loss that the Raptors took advantage of playing without Rudy Gay -- who sat out resting a sore back -- and Andrea Bargnani, sidelined with an elbow strain.

It came down to the wire, with Cleveland leading by one in the final minute of a back-and-forth conclusion to the fourth quarter, but Kyle Lowry scored four straight including the go-ahead turnaround jumper with 14 seconds left.

Even without two of their top scorers, six Raptors reached double figures led by Alan Anderson, who had 15 of his 18 points in the second half. Amir Johnson registered a double-double of 17 points and 16 rebounds, Lowry scored 15 to go along with nine boards while rookie Terrence Ross added 14 in his first NBA start.

Irving had 12 points before sustaining his injury with rookie Dion Waiters picking up the slack with a game-high 21.

QUOTABLE: "I know where we're at, I know where we're going [and] I know how to get there but again it takes these guys committed like they were [in] the second half."

-- Raptors coach Dwane Casey

THE STAT: After Toronto took a quick 9-6 lead, the Cavaliers seized control with a 29-13 run extending into the second quarter. Cleveland out-muscled the home team early on, outrebounding them by five in the first quarter with a six-point advantage in the paint. The Raptors more than held their own the rest of the way, finishing with 47 boards (two more than Cleveland) and their own six-point advantage in the painted area. Toronto has now scored 40 or more points in the paint in five consecutive games despite entering the game ranked 27th in that category.

TURNING POINT: Trailing by nine with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Raptors engineered a 27-13 run to end the frame leading by five points. Overall, Toronto shot 50 percent and outscored Cleveland 33-19 led by rookies Ross and Jonas Valanciunas, who combined for 19 points on 5-for-8 shooting in the frame. Following a collision with Valanciunas, Irving left the game with two minutes left in the period while his team was still up by four. He headed straight to the Cavaliers locker room after shooting and splitting two one-handed free throws. Cleveland was never able to recover after losing its All-Star point guard.

HOT: Ross, who did not play in Friday's road loss to the Lakers, was given his first career start in place of the injured Gay. Although Ross struggled early on, settling for long jumpers and going 1-for-6 in the first half, he had much better results once he started to utilize his athleticism and put the ball on the floor later in the game. The rookie scored 10 points in nine second-half minutes, shooting 3-for-5 including 2-for-3 from downtown. It was his second straight outing with 10 or more points.

QUOTABLE II: "Terrence came out great. It's good, especially for a rookie of that caliber to get his confidence up at the end of the season."

-- Raptors forward Landry Fields on Ross

NOT: Coming off an efficient 12-for-18, 28-point performance in Los Angeles, DeMar DeRozan had a quiet outing on Sunday. The Raptors' guard struggled with his shot, going 3-for-13 from the floor while also committing four turnovers. He did redeem himself at the line where he went 7-for-8 and continued to demonstrate his improved court vision registering six assists. It was the 11th time DeRozan recorded five or more assists in a game this season after accomplishing that feat just five times total in his first three seasons.

GOOD MOVE: Leading by three with less than five seconds remaining, Casey and the Raptors opted to foul Cleveland, forcing them to shoot two free throws instead of attempting a three-point shot that would have tied the game. Casey had been criticized after his team failed to execute in the exact same situation at the end of regulation in Friday's overtime loss to the Lakers.

NOTABLE: Irving is considered day-to-day with a left shoulder contusion, X-rays were negative. ... Bargnani missed the game after straining his right elbow in the first quarter of Friday's loss. Bargnani, who missed 26 games earlier this season with a torn ligament in the same elbow, is scheduled to undergo further tests on Monday. ... Prior to the game Casey indicated there's a possibility the team could continue to rest Gay, who has been battling back spasms, if the ailment persists down the stretch of the season. ... Johnson registered his team-leading 12th double-double. ... With the win, the Raptors split the season series with Cleveland after the Cavaliers took the last two meetings. ... The Cavaliers have lost four of their first five games in the month of March despite winning four of five to end February. ... Both rapper Drake, a Toronto native, and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel were in attendance.